‘Background’ and ‘foreground’ knowledge: targeting learning materials to trainees' needs

Enhancement of Learning Based Image Matting Method with Different Background/Foreground Weights

The problem of accurate foreground estimation in images is called Image Matting. In image matting methods, a map is used as learning data, which is produced by those pixels that are definitely foreground, definitely background ,and unknown. This three-level pixel map is often referred to as a trimap, which is produced manually in alpha matte datasets. The true class of unknown pixels will be es...

Weakly Supervised Learning of Foreground-Background Segmentation Using Masked RBMs

We propose an extension of the Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM) that allows the joint shape and appearance of foreground objects in cluttered images to be modeled independently of the background. We present a learning scheme that learns this representation directly from cluttered images with only very weak supervision. The model generates plausible samples and performs foreground-background s...

Learning needs analysis to guide teaching evidence-based medicine: knowledge and beliefs amongst trainees from various specialities

BACKGROUND We undertook a needs assessment exercise using questionnaire survey of junior doctors' knowledge and beliefs concerning evidence-based medicine (EBM) and critical literature appraisal, as this is a core competence in postgraduate medical education. METHODS We surveyed 317 junior doctors in various specialities in the UK West Midlands Deanery. Using validated questionnaires we compa...

Background and Foreground Knowledge in Dynamic Ontology Construction: Viewing Text as Knowledge Maintenance

Ontologies have become a key component in the Semantic Web and Knowledge management. One accepted goal is to construct ontologies from a domain specific set of texts. An ontology reflects the background knowledge used in writing and reading a text. However, a text is an act of knowledge maintenance, in that it re-enforces the background assumptions, alters links and associations in the ontology...

Background Knowledge and Translation Ability